Grades 6-12; Boarding 8-12

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Lisa Houston, Director of Advisory and Student Activities

Fresh out of college, Ms. Lisa Houston was working as an interior designer in her native Princeton when she saw a newspaper advertisement from one of Princeton High School’s sports rivals, The Pennington School. They were looking for a part-time Middle School drama teacher.

“I ended up directing all of our shows,” says Ms. Houston, “and the very next year, I was hired full-time and invited to live on campus.” Graduating from Barnard College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and technical theater, Ms. Houston certainly was qualified to teach and direct. And because of her kind, understanding nature, Ms. Houston was also ready to mentor the young people living on her hall.

And although she’d always loved reading, Ms. Houston’s very first “gig” out of college helped to further bolster her understanding of English literature. “I worked as a nanny for a family in Katonah, New York. The father of the family was a book editor.” He gave Ms. Houston plenty to read in her off hours and then he’d ask for her opinion. This is pretty impressive considering the man was (at that time) the editor for author John Grisham; currently, he still serves as Grisham’s literary agent! Ms. Houston remains in good touch with the family. “The boy I took care of ended up moving to Peaks Island where he makes pizza.” Coincidently, Ms. Houston and her family have spent summers in their home on Peaks Island, Maine, which they affectionately call “The B-Side,” for the past ten years.

For twenty years, Ms. Houston taught various levels of drama at the Middle and Upper School, as well as public speaking and English classes. She is quite proud of a curriculum that she initially founded with Ms. Dolores Eaton, then further developed with Ms. Caroline Hall. Many a Middle-Schooler has taken the combination humanities course “Art-o-Rama.” Perhaps the most memorable project that stems from this class is puppet-making, where students design their own puppet, then breathe life into it with their acting skills. The course has garnered attention outside of Pennington as well. Ms. Houston has presented on Art-o-Rama at such conferences as the National Art Educators Association and the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.

Surprisingly, very few schools have tried to replicate the course, not because of a lack of interest, but because of a lack of funds. “We’re lucky in that not all schools have theater and art every year. Public schools in particular have cut back heavily on their offerings. They may organize a yearly show, but there’s no program to support the arts.”

It was around 2015 when Ms. Houston decided to pursue more of a leadership role at Pennington. She began graduate work, which she finished in 2022 (MEd in progressive leadership, Bank Street College of Education). During this period, she also served as acting head of the Middle School in the fall of 2017 while the head of Middle School took a sabbatical. Upon his return, Ms. Houston became dean of students for the Middle School, a role she held until 2023.

Ms. Houston’s most recent position, director of advisory and student activities, is one that she loves. This role combines Ms. Houston’s strengths: helping her students to learn but also to have fun. Ms. Houston enjoys empowering students to take on leadership roles; already this year, the number of student-led clubs has risen dramatically. These include clubs for car enthusiasts as well as those interested in developing social media and putting forth green initiatives. Ms. Houston was particularly touched by the number of clubs that have been involved with our weekly chapel service as well as the organization of the School’s annual HomeFront Holiday Party.

Ms. Houston, whose office is located in the MMAC, envisions the Student Center as a place that will become even more of a hub. A new interior design club has brought forth a few ideas for redesigning the space to include areas for clubs to sell items for fundraising, for acting and singing, and for board games. Already, improvements have been made in wall decoration and color.

Ms. Houston is also excited about some other continuing projects. Along with working with teachers new to Pennington on student and club advisory training, Ms. Houston has worked hard to develop a strong advisory curriculum. “There are advisory curricula for sale out there, but you pay thousands of dollars for a program that isn’t tailored to your school and leaves no room for interacting with your students. Our program contains topics we’d like to cover but also has the flexibility to attend to issues that come up in our community and in the world.”

Ms. Houston is quite proud that her tenure at Pennington has been a family affair. Her husband, Jason Harding, has taught history at Pennington since 2002, and he is largely responsible for the technical theater aspects of the fall play, the winter musical, and the short spring plays. Son Will ’19, who recently graduated from Temple University with a BA in theater, is, like his father, a drummer in a band. Daughter Lucy ’22 is currently studying psychology at the University of Vermont. And sister Suzanne, known as “Shouston” so that students can make it clear which Ms. Houston they’re talking about, took over for Ms. Houston as director of Pennington’s theater program when Lisa transitioned to School leadership.

Although their second home in Peaks offers a more secluded getaway, the Houston-Harding family has continued to grow professionally on this Maine island. Ms. Houston and Mr. Harding have assisted with several summer theater and cultural initiatives on the island, helping the community to regain the prestige it once enjoyed as a popular summer destination. Hailed as the “Coney Island of the North,” Peaks Island once featured amusement parks as well as a giant theater called The Gem. For the past few summers, Ms. Houston has worked on radio and stage plays for the Greenwood Garden Playhouse, and Mr. Harding has helped with the tech behind the shows. Additionally, Mr. Harding also serves on the board for the Fifth Maine Museum, a Civil War museum on the island.

Eager to stay physically active, Ms. Houston achieved certification as a yoga instructor in summer 2023! She practices five to six times per week, has led workshops with residential prefects, and runs Pennington’s afterschool yoga activity. 

Ms. Houston has certainly left an indelible mark on The Pennington School and, because of her positive energy, all signs indicate that more excitement is still to come!